The Great Plains and Indians Flashcards
Why did nations like the Sioux move to the Great Plains?
- for horses - able to hunt buffalo, traded them, counted wealth in horses.
- to escape from diseases
- to trade goods
Describe the major obstacles the white settlers who wanted to cross over or live on the plains had.
- land not fit for farming
- lack of water
- scarcity of wood
- harsh weather
- native Americans - maybe not welcoming
Why was the missisipi chosen as the ‘first frontier’?
Acted as a natural border as ran the entire length of the country.
What were the black hills?
- area in the north that was sacred to the Indians
- belief in being close to their ancestors (high up)
Why were the plains Indians so well suited to living on the Great Plains?
- family life (everyone had roles)
- developed social organisation
- used horses
- lots of uses for buffalo
Describe the Indians’ family life.
- lived in tipis
- 10 - 50 families in one band
- children and elderly seen as important as future of the band
- spent most of year travelling / hunting / camping, were nomadic
- elderly left behind when too weak to continue
- wealthy men had several wives, ‘polygamy’
Describe the Indians’ social organisation.
- Sioux nation split into tribes
- tribes split into bands
- each band had chief, warrior society and a council
- chief position earned through wisdom, war and medicine, not elected
- warrior society protected village and overlooked hunting
- council (elders) made decisions and connected to spiritual world
Describe the Indians’ horses.
- used for transport
- enabled fighting for longer
- more horses owned = more wealthy you were
- stolen horses became a problem
- thought horses had spiritual value, white did not
Describe the Indians’ use of the buffalo.
- fur for coats
- bones for arrowheads
- tongues for hairbrushes
- horns for spoons
- intestines for buckets
- bladders for food bags
- hearts eaten for strength
- skull used in religious ceremonies
How did Indians view the land?
- sacred
- believed they returned to land when dead
- believed land could not be owned
- called land their mother
- believed ploughing land was like ripping mothers breast
Describe the Indians’ religion.
- believed in wakan tanka, great spirit, created everything
- contacted spirits through visions who influenced their lives
- sacred circles, high places sacred, closest to spiritual world
- circle of nature
- surrounded by circle of horizon, village, council, tipi
- lived through circles of birth, childhood, adulthood, old age, second childhood, death.
What was the role of Indian men?
- hunting
- looking after horses
- protecting band
- judged by skills as hunters, worriers and horsemen
What was the role of Indian women?
- responsible for tipi, food, water and clothing
- judged by skills at crafts and as homemakers
- highly valued as bearers of children
What was the role of Indian children?
- highly valued as future of the band
- no school but learnt skills from family
- taught to ride horses
- boys taught how to hunt
- girls taught how to maintain at home
- learnt how to survive on Great Plains
What was the role of Indian elderly?
- gave advice to council
- passed on history of people
- helped bring up children
- left behind when too weak
